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Oversight head to release business requests for regulation rollbacks

Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) has promised to publicly release
responses he receives from 150 companies, trade groups and think tanks that
he asked to compile wish lists of regulations they would like
rolled back.

“Chairman Issa fully intends to publicly release all of the responses
he receives,” said spokesman Kurt Bardella, although he noted that his
boss planned to do so once he's received all of them and he and his
staff have had the chance to analyze the suggestions.

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Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) on Friday
called on Issa to release the 150 letters he recently sent to the
corporations and groups and to post their responses.

Bardella said there is no reason to post the letters online because
the same letter was sent to all the companies, associations and think
tanks, and media reports have cited the entirety of its contents. He
also said The Hill published the full list of companies who received
the letters earlier this week, so that’s already public, too.

“CREW should really do their due diligence popping off just to make
news,” he said.

Incoming Republicans and Issa have pledged to run a more transparent
Congress, and Issa has demonstrated a commitment to transparency
in the past. Last year, he earned an award from the Project of
Government Oversight for publicly releasing hundreds of thousands of
documents related to the AIG investigation, thereby revealing the full
details of government’s decision to pay billions of dollars to AIG
counterparties.

“I agree wholeheartedly with Chairman Issa that our government must be
more transparent, and CREW looks forward to working with him on this
important issue,” said CREW Executive Director Melanie Sloan. “To that
end, it is incumbent on the chairman to post on the committee’s
website all the letters that he recently sent to corporations and
trade associations requesting feedback on government regulations, as
well as any responses he receives. Releasing this information will
help further his stated goals and foster public confidence in his
committee.”

Issa’s letter sparked an intense debate over whether it is appropriate
for lawmakers and the White House to be asking corporate interests for
a list of the most onerous regulations. Democrats and campaign finance
watchdogs, according to opponents, have criticized the letter for a
number of different reasons. Watchdogs have focused on the fundraising
ties between the businesses and Issa, while Rep. Elijah Cummings
(D-Md.), the ranking member on the panel, has criticized the GOP for
abandoning middle-class families in favor of moneyed special
interests.

Issa sent the letter to a wide spectrum of business interests,
including broad trade groups such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce,
National Association of Manufacturers and Financial Services
Roundtable, as well as Fortune 500 companies such as Exxon Mobil,
Bayer and the Ford Motor Co.

Issa also wrote to groups with more specialized interests, such as the
Association of Pool & Spa Professionals, the Fertilizer and Salt
Institutes, the Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers Association and the
Color Pigments Manufacturers Association.

The vast assortment of business interests on the list demonstrates
Issa’s determination to come up with as many regulations as possible
to consider rolling back.